Awesome canine athletes at Stone Mountain

The pooch performances at the DockDogs World Championship Qualifier last weekend were pretty amazing
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Sure, you might catch Fido dog-paddling in the backyard pool to cool off on a summer day, but you will rethink the concept of dogs-and-aquatics after watching the canine competitors in dock-diving competitions.

Dock-diving competitions include four events in which dogs run and leap off a forty-foot dock into a pool of water to either chase or retrieve a toy. The dog that jumps the farthest or retrieves the fastest is the winner.

At the DockDogs World Championship Qualifier held at Stone Mountain Park last weekend, I got to meet Bo, the dog that broke the “Extreme Vertical World Record.” Working with trainer Crystal Mcclaran, Bo, a Walker Hound/Doberman, soared to new heights at eight-feet five-inches. Bo is also the number three Iron Dog in the world!

Sure, Bo competes professionally, but the best part about these events is that anyone can enter their pup in an event. Both amateurs and world record-breakers had fun at the competition. (That said, I did spot a few dogs who got cold paws when they reached the end of the dock and just wouldn’t jump, kind of like little kids who chicken out at the top of the high dive.)

If you missed these high-flying canines or want to register your own water-loving pooch in a future competition, head to dockdogs.com to find a list of national events.

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